Key Summary
- The event was sponsored by Liberal Democrat MP Helen Maguire, and 21 MPs, peers and their staff were present
- The parliamentarians were warned that if primary care continues to be underfunded, it will affect healthcare sector
- The primary care sector members wanted the MPs to urge the Government to take steps to make primary care sustainable
Representatives of primary care bodies recently met with the parliamentarians to press for greater investment in the sector.
National primary care bodies, the British Dental Association, British Medical Association, Community Pharmacy England, Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee and the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers jointly hosted a drop-in event for the MPs “Moving from Crisis to Recovery - Future of Primary Care".
The event, held on Tuesday (27), was sponsored by Liberal Democrat MP Helen Maguire, and 21 MPs, peers, and their staff were present.
The parliamentarians were reminded that primary care is the 'front door' to the NHS, where the public initially goes for advice, treatment, and referrals to more specialised care if needed.
The patients' relationships with healthcare are built during their interactions with primary healthcare professionals, and hence it is vital that this sector is protected and built upon for the future.
The parliamentarians were warned that if primary care continues to be under-prioritised and underfunded, when compared with the rest of the NHS, it could affect patient health.
The five primary care sectors have issued four calls to action.
- Use primary care to prioritise care closer to home and patient choice
- Urgently invest in primary care to future-proof the NHS
- Give primary care a role to shape the future of Neighbourhood Health Services under Government direction
- Improve digital infrastructure and IT connectivity for efficient community care
The primary care sector members wanted the MPs to urge the Government to intervene and take steps to attain these objectives to secure a long-term sustainable future for the primary care sector.
Helen Maguire said she was happy to sponsor the event and hear directly from primary care organisations.
“The Government must provide comprehensive investment to secure a sustainable future for the NHS and its primary care services," she added.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison said, “Primary care is the NHS’ first line of defence, yet it has been left underfunded for far too long.
"Community pharmacy teams, like our primary care colleagues, are holding up the frontline with extraordinary commitment, but goodwill alone cannot sustain vital services. Without urgent, significant investment, the foundation of the NHS will continue to erode."
“The united call from across primary care is a clear message to Government: if ministers want to protect access to vital healthcare, keep people well for longer, and deliver care closer to home, they must invest urgently in the services that the public rely on every day.”
British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said, “We’ve been told that primary care is heart of the NHS. That it’s the front door. And that now is the time to shift the focus from hospital to the high street.
“Soundbites are all well and good. But what tens of millions of our patients need is real commitment, underpinned by sustainable investment.”
BMA GPCE chair Dr Katie Bramall said, “Primary care - the front door of the NHS - has been undervalued for too long by successive Governments with the quality of patient care deteriorating as a result.
"Tens of millions of patients are seen every month by GPs and with dwindling resources and patient demand spiralling out of control, it's now of the upmost importance that general practice is rebuilt on a foundation of sustainable investment."
"A fully resourced primary care system benefits everyone by reducing waiting lists, easing pressure off of hospitals, allowing clinicians to deliver the care that patients deserve but, most importantly, providing continuity of care in the community, which is proven to reduce far more costly urgent, emergency and elective care episodes in hospitals.”
David Hewlett, director of Policy and Strategy at the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers, said, “It was great to see all parts of primary care coming together in Parliament today, to promote what needs to happen under 10 Year Health Plan and the Darzi review, as well as to see so many MPs turning up to find out more and lend their support to our shared primary care goals.
“We all back the shift from hospital to the community, but this requires funding to follow the patient and a strategic steer from central government - otherwise the NHS will not deliver the 10 Year Plan.”
